Vicki Hyde
Encyclopedia
Vicki Hyde is a New Zealand
science writer and editor, and chair-entity of the New Zealand Skeptics
. She is co-owner with her husband Peter of a New Zealand-based software and web development company, Webcentre Ltd.
Hyde (born Vicki Spong) resides in Christchurch
. She gained a B.Sc. in psychology and a B.A. in sociology from University of Canterbury
and represented her alma mater in the television series University Challenge
in 1980. She was the team manager the following year in 1981, when Canterbury won the title. Following her studies she lived in Japan
before returning to New Zealand in 1989.
Hyde is best known as the Managing Editor of the popular science portal site ScitechDaily, which she began as a sister site to Arts & Letters Daily
soon after the latter was launched in 1998 by her friend, Denis Dutton
.
Hyde's company also worked with Dutton in 1998 to launch the Cybereditions e-book
and print-on-demand publishing operation, which Webcentre owns outright.
Hyde was also founder and Managing Editor of New Zealand Science Monthly magazine which was published for the full decade from 1990 to 2000. During that time she authored Godzone Skies, Astronomy for New Zealanders and helped launch and market Webcentre's flagship TurboNote software. Hyde won the New Zealand Association of Scientists
science journalism award in 1999.
She is the long-standing Chair-Entity of the New Zealand Skeptics (NZ Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, Inc).
In her leisure time, Hyde can be found in an alternate persona as a Baroness of Southron Gaard, a branch of the international Society for Creative Anachronism
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
science writer and editor, and chair-entity of the New Zealand Skeptics
New Zealand Skeptics
The New Zealand Skeptics comprises a network of New Zealanders including magicians, teachers, scientists, health professionals and many others from all walks of life...
. She is co-owner with her husband Peter of a New Zealand-based software and web development company, Webcentre Ltd.
Hyde (born Vicki Spong) resides in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
. She gained a B.Sc. in psychology and a B.A. in sociology from University of Canterbury
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
and represented her alma mater in the television series University Challenge
University Challenge (New Zealand)
University Challenge was a long-running New Zealand television quiz show. The format was based on the British show of the same name, which was itself based on the American College Bowl...
in 1980. She was the team manager the following year in 1981, when Canterbury won the title. Following her studies she lived in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
before returning to New Zealand in 1989.
Hyde is best known as the Managing Editor of the popular science portal site ScitechDaily, which she began as a sister site to Arts & Letters Daily
Arts & Letters Daily
Arts & Letters Daily is a web portal owned by The Chronicle of Higher Education. It features links to a diverse array of news stories, features and reviews from throughout the online Anglosphere, each introduced with a short blurb or teaser...
soon after the latter was launched in 1998 by her friend, Denis Dutton
Denis Dutton
Denis Dutton was an academic, web entrepreneur and libertarian media commentator/activist. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand...
.
Hyde's company also worked with Dutton in 1998 to launch the Cybereditions e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
and print-on-demand publishing operation, which Webcentre owns outright.
Hyde was also founder and Managing Editor of New Zealand Science Monthly magazine which was published for the full decade from 1990 to 2000. During that time she authored Godzone Skies, Astronomy for New Zealanders and helped launch and market Webcentre's flagship TurboNote software. Hyde won the New Zealand Association of Scientists
New Zealand Association of Scientists
The New Zealand Association of Scientists is a professional body for scientists in New Zealand. It differs from the Royal Society of New Zealand in being a independent non-profit incorporated society and registered charity, rather than being constituted by an Act of Parliament...
science journalism award in 1999.
She is the long-standing Chair-Entity of the New Zealand Skeptics (NZ Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, Inc).
In her leisure time, Hyde can be found in an alternate persona as a Baroness of Southron Gaard, a branch of the international Society for Creative Anachronism
Society for Creative Anachronism
The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century...
.
Publications
- Godzone Skies, Astronomy for New Zealanders, (1992) ISBN 0908812191
- Night skies above New Zealand (2003) ISBN 1869660331
- Oddzone: Paranormal Phenomena, Alien Abductions, Animal Mysteries, Psychics and Mediums and Other Weird Kiwi Stuff, (2006) ISBN 9781869661434